Volkswagen has its XL1, the aero coupe that promises 235 miles per gallon through the use of a two-cylinder TDI diesel, an electric motor with a lithium-ion battery pack, and a seven-speed DCT. Rumored to hit showrooms next year, it will be sold in limited markets and in limited numbers. Over the corporate fence, Autocar reports that Audi is also working on a 1.0-liter car, but theirs looks to have a very different brief.

The report says that it's known as the "1.0-liter car" internally, but it won't use the same engine as Volkswagen's entry and the displacement codename might or might not describe the car's actual engine size. There will definitely be an electric component involved, however. The tiny bit that is known comes courtesy of Wolfgang Durheimer, Audi's technology chief, who says the car will utilize a version of the steel platform the A1 is based on. He tells Autocar that it will "be an 'affordable' full four-seater" and it will provide "all the creature comforts of a normal car, including climate control."

Instead of an Audi version of the XL1, this sounds like Ingolstadt's take on the BMW i3, but with better mileage. The Autocar piece says it's at least three years away from showrooms, but the Audi future product plan changes so frequently, so the timeline is hardly set in stone. The concepts, if and when they do arrive, should be very interesting, at least.

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Did I say it didn't work? Hang on, let me reread my post a sec................
Nope.. all I said was that GM made a ridiculous claim in 2009 about the projected Volt mpg.. just saying, they were off by a tad. (100 mpge is impressive nonetheless)
Now. I'm not saying Audi can't produce a 235 mpg car, because I'm sure they can. But that part that leaves me skeptical is that "affordable" piece. 235 mpg for lets say $25,000 (that's what I would call affordable to the average American home) is unattainable. period. so again, i'll believe it when i see it.

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GM loses a ton on every Volt, but they keep making them. VW (VW/Audi/Porsche/SEAT/Skoda/Lamborghini/Bugatti/Bently) is a larger automaker than GM (both in terms of sales and revenue) and if GM can AFFORD to do this, as it is a cost for both bragging rights and for future platform development and real world testing... VW for damn sure can do it.

If its a plug in electric ice hybrid, i think it a little bit misleading to say it will get 100 km pr 1 liter of fuel, cause that number must be including the electric range, and eletricity also cost money.
To call it a real 1 liter car, it should be able to get 100 km on 1 liters of fuel without any electric drivetrain and battery pack, that meaning with just the use of an ICE engine, anything else is misleading in my mind.

right 'cause then we'd be using that crappy eMPG which is a HUGELY MEANINGLESS figure. If anyone's ready to deliver a 235 mpg car, it's VW/Audi, as they came close before, al biet in extreme design. One thing that's really been jacking up all these discussions is the idea that you could measure it at 25 mph without stops and proclaim "Eureka" So then you must go back and try to formulate an MPG that people will actually see in use, which is why fuelly has been one of the few reliable ways to understand a vehicle's true mileage short of owning it.

Thank you, eMPG, that's the word i was looking for. The only way you can get 235 MPG = 100 km/1 liter, from a production car today car is with plug in electric charging to aid the ICE engine and then it's the eMPG term you use. I don't belive it's possible to get more than 100 MPG from an ICE engine on it's own, with today's engine tech. And that would be from a little 2 cylinder diesel. If Volkswagen or Audi can actually achieve 235 MPG in a ICE only car, I'm going to be very impressed, good luck to them.

ever hear of the diesel/electric powered locomotive. the drive wheels are powered by small electric motors, a small one or two cylinder diesel could run a generator at a constant rpm to charge the batteries up to full charge. No control of by the driver. the electricity could be sent to the electric motors in the drive wheel(s) - no transmission, no diferential, no frive shaft, just electric wires. the driver would control the electricity to the drive wheel(s). The diesel charging system would be silent in operations and would start up automatically when the batteries need to be recharged. The key to electric is 1 keeping the batteries charged, 2 keep the weight down, 3 keep the range up. The diesel charging system could be fabricated in a modular system for ease of service. I think the heavest thing would be the charging system and a 10 leter diesel fuel tank.